Law breaking/behavior sensor

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for a complete vehicle ecosystem are provided. Specifically, systems that when taken alone, or together, provide an individual or group of individuals with an intuitive and comfortable vehicular environment. The present disclosure builds on integrating existing technology with new devices, methods, and systems to provide a complete vehicle ecosystem.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefits of and priority, under 35U.S.C. §119(e), to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. Nos. 61/560,509,filed on Nov. 16, 2011, entitled “Complete Vehicle Ecosystem”;61/637,164, filed on Apr. 23, 2012, entitled “Complete VehicleEcosystem”; 61/646,747, filed on May 14, 2012, entitled “Branding ofElectrically Propelled Vehicles Via the Generation of Specific OperatingSounds”; 61/653,275, filed on May 30, 2012, entitled “VehicleApplication Store for Console”; 61/653,264, filed on May 30, 2012,entitled “Control of Device Features Based on Vehicle State”;61/653,563, filed on May 31, 2012, entitled “Complete VehicleEcosystem”; 61/663,335, filed on Jun. 22, 2012, entitled “CompleteVehicle Ecosystem”; 61/672,483, filed on Jul. 17, 2012, entitled“Vehicle Climate Control”; and 61/714,016, filed on Oct. 15, 2012,entitled “Vehicle Middleware.” The entire disclosures of theapplications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in theirentirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.

This application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/420,236, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled, “Configurable VehicleConsole”; Ser. No. 13/420,240, filed on Mar. 14, 2012, entitled“Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console”; Ser. No. 13/462,593, filed onMay 2, 2012, entitled “Configurable Dash Display”; Ser. No. 13/462,596,filed on May 2, 2012, entitled “Configurable Heads-Up Dash Display”;Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Implementation ofConquest Functionality in Automotive Console” (Attorney Docket No.6583-228); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “GestureRecognition for On-Board Display” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-229); Ser.No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Vehicle Application Storefor Console” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-230); Ser. No. ______, filed onNov. 16, 2012, entitled “Sharing Applications/Media Between Car andPhone (Hydroid)” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-231); Ser. No. ______, filedon Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “In-Cloud Connection for Car Multimedia”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-232); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,entitled “Music Streaming” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-233); Ser. No.______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Control of Device FeaturesBased on Vehicle State” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-234); Ser. No. ______,filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Insurance Tracking” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-235); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “LawBreaking/Behavior Sensor” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-236); Ser. No.______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Etiquette Suggestion”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-237); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,entitled “Parking Space Finder Based on Parking Meter Data” (AttorneyDocket No. 6583-238); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Parking Meter Expired Alert” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-239); Ser. No.______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Object Sensing (PedestrianAvoidance/Accident Avoidance)” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-240); Ser. No.______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Proximity Warning Relative toOther Cars” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-241); Ser. No. ______, filed onNov. 16, 2012, entitled “Street Side Sensors” (Attorney Docket No.6583-242); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “CarLocation” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-243); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov.16, 2012, entitled “Universal Bus in the Car” (Attorney Docket No.6583-244); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Mobile HotSpot/Router/Application Share Site or Network” (Attorney Docket No.6583-245); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “UniversalConsole Chassis for the Car” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-246); Ser. No.______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Middleware” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-247); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “RealTime Traffic” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-248); Ser. No. ______, filed onNov. 16, 2012, entitled “Map Updating” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-249);Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Communications Basedon Vehicle Diagnostics and Indications” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-250);Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Felon Identifier”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-251); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,entitled “Behavioral Tracking and Vehicle Applications” (Attorney DocketNo. 6583-252); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled“Improvements to Controller Area Network Bus” (Attorney Docket No.6583-314); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “LocationInformation Exchange Between Vehicle and Device” (Attorney Docket No.6583-315); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “In CarCommunication Between Devices” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-316); Ser. No.______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Hardware Unit forCar Systems” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-317); Ser. No. ______, filed onNov. 16, 2012, entitled “Feature Recognition for Configuring a VehicleConsole and Associated Devices” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-318); Ser. No.______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Vehicle Console”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-412); Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012,entitled “Configurable Dash Display” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-413);Ser. No. ______, filed on Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Configurable Heads-UpDash Display” (Attorney Docket No. 6583-414); and Ser. No. ______, filedon Nov. 16, 2012, entitled “Removable, Configurable Vehicle Console”(Attorney Docket No. 6583-415). The entire disclosures of theapplications listed above are hereby incorporated by reference, in theirentirety, for all that they teach and for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Whether using private, commercial, or public transport, the movement ofpeople and/or cargo has become a major industry. In today'sinterconnected world daily travel is essential to engaging in commerce.Commuting to and from work can account for a large portion of atraveler's day. As a result, vehicle manufacturers have begun to focuson making this commute, and other journeys, more enjoyable, safer, morefair and in a more informed manner.

SUMMARY

Currently, responsible drivers pay inflated insurance premiums becausethe insurance industry cannot guarantee a particular driver's adherenceto law or general driving behavior. It is an unfair responsibility forresponsible drivers to pay for others poor behavior, poor driving habitsand/or lack of experience

An exemplary embodiment is directed towards using various data compiled,detected, or received by a system to analyze factors contributing to anindividual's driving behavior and/or habits. In the event that anindividual wishes to receive better insurance rates for responsibledriving, a lower quantity of driving, or other good driving indicators,the driver may agree to provide insurance tracking information. Theinsurance tracking system may consider one or more of GPS/location basedinformation (to compare actual speed with speed limit data), G-forcesensors (to detect rapid acceleration, hard turns, etc.), perimetersensors (to detect close-calls with other vehicles and/or stationaryobjects, inattention while changing lanes) etc., in order to determineconformance with the good-driving terms established by the insurancecompany.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, in addition to the systembeing able to allow better drivers to receive better insurance rates,the system can also be used to dynamically provide feedback to a driverabout the quality of their driving, which can be based on an analysis ofinformation from one or more sensors, comparing of a driver's habits toapplicable laws and/or regulations, and/or any good-driving termsestablished by an entity, such as an insurance company. This feedbackcan be given in real-time, such as via a display installed in orassociated with the vehicle (or even a multi-screen device), through thespeakers, tactile feedback, such as through the seat, steering wheel,the driver's phone (such as a vibration), or the like, or at a latertime, such as from an insurance company representative via acommunication such as a call.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, some of the informationand/or data that can be monitored are perimeter information, G-forceinformation, proximity information, GPS location information, time anddate information, biometric information, law and/or regulationinformation, behavior information from one or more of the driver andpassenger(s), mileage information, as well as vehicle information, suchas any information acquirable from, for example, on-board diagnostics(such as OBD-II) as well as lighting information, such as turn signals,headlights, radio information, Bluetooth® information, brakinginformation, turning information, acceleration information, and ingeneral any information related to a vehicle's operation.

In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment, a feedback deviceprovides in, for example, real-time, information to the driverindicating whether or not they are performing within the good-drivingterms established by the insurance company, or whether they are notcomplying with the good-driving terms. This can allow, for example,drivers to be much more in tune with how they are driving as well asreceive instant feedback as to which actions cause them to run afoul ofthe good-driving terms.

Another exemplary aspect of this invention could be utilized to assistwith accident deconstruction to, for example, assist with determiningfault if vehicle is involved in an accident.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, a vehicle is equipped witha sensor, such as a camera. The camera helps to detect whether a driveris dozing off or falling asleep, watching the road, texting or talkingon the phone, or in general performing any activity that is adistraction while driving. The camera could also work in conjunctionwith, for example, a seat sensor to assist with detecting whether or notan occupant and/or pet is present in one of the vehicle seats. As withthe other information that is being monitored, this information can alsobe monitored and used for subsequent analysis to determine whether adriver is driving properly and/or whether a driver should be providedfeedback regarding their driving habits.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a feedback module canbe located in one or more of the vehicle and remotely, such as at aninsurance company premise, the feedback module, cooperating with acommunication module, is able to not only transfer data collected fromthe various sensors, and/or a simple analysis decision from the vehicleto the insurance company, but also allows feedback, such asinstructions, incentive, or disincentive information, to be relayed tothe driver of the vehicle with the cooperation of a communication moduleand, as discussed, one or more of a display, speakers and tactilefeedback device(s).

Another exemplary aspect is directed towards utilizing one or moreportions of the information collected for assistance when a vehicle isstolen. Here, if the available data can be forwarded to one or more ofan insurance company and/or the police to assist with one or more ofvehicle recovery, vehicle location, circumstances and data about whenand where the vehicle was stolen, whether or not the doors were locked,and in general any information relating to the status of the vehicleupon being stolen or after being stolen.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, location information,such as that collected from a GPS module, is reconciled with local lawand regulation information that can also be used as a basis forproviding feedback to a driver regarding compliance withlaws/regulations at their current position.

Another exemplary aspect, as briefly mentioned above, is directed towardmonitoring the behavior of one or more passengers and/or pets in avehicle, that can be used as a further consideration as to whether thedriver is ensuring the safe transportation of passenger(s)/cargo intheir vehicle. For example, seatbelt detectors can be used with a seatdetection system, such that if a passenger is present, a determinationcan be made whether or not that passenger is wearing their seatbelt, aswell as other information such as information from a camera or biometricsensor(s) used to determine whether, for example, children are playingall over in the vehicle without being appropriately buckled into a childsafety seat or seatbelt.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, those who currently breaktraffic laws are caught by combinations of video surveillance,radar/laser detection, and/or police officers who are activelymonitoring traffic offenses. Accordingly, an exemplary aspect isdirected toward a system where a police officer and/or rule trap sensorcan ping or otherwise query an automobile for information relating toits speed, driving conditions, and in general any information stored onthe vehicle. By comparing this received data from the vehicle to knowndata relating to stop signs, speed limits, local laws and regulations,and the like, a decision can be made as to whether a law has beenbroken. For example, a rule trap sensor located along a roadside, neednot necessarily determine the speed of a vehicle with a laser, butrather the rule trap sensor can query the vehicle to respond to the ruletrap sensor with the vehicle's speed. Therefore, the speed detection isachieved through the vehicle responding to the sensor's question and thevehicle's answer. It should be appreciated that items other than speedcould also be requested by the rule trap sensor from the vehicle—ingeneral, the rule trap sensor could query the vehicle and determinewhether any infraction had occurred, such as lack of appropriate seatbelt usage, expired registration, etc, or simply collect data therefromusable for any purpose.

This can similarly be used by police officers either independently or inconjunction with existing technologies, such as radar guns, LIDAR, photored light detectors, and the like. The roadside sensors/rule traps couldthen be used in a similar manner to photo red light detectors, with theability to communicate with one or more appropriate entities to issue awarning or a ticket in the instance of a law or a regulation violation.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, the queryable informationcan be used to assist with accident reconstruction as any of the storedinformation discussed herein can be queryable and provided to an entity,such as a police officer investigating an accident. This could beespecially helpful where there is conflicting information regarding whatactually happened at the scene of an accident.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, a driving reputation systemis provided. As the vehicle collects information from associated sensorsand devices as discussed, the data may be stored and related to aspecific driver. This related data may be used to develop acorresponding driving reputation. For instance, a vehicle operator mayobtain a lower reputation if that vehicle operator is known to driveerratically, make sudden stops, avoid using signals, and/or constantlyspeeding through school zones, and the like.

It is anticipated that reputation data may be compiled by the vehicleand/or associated systems. Alternatively, or in addition, vehicleoperators may report on at least one other driver's behavior by sendinga signal to a central repository. This central repository may analyzethe reported data and cause the at least one driver's behavior to bereflected in a reputation (grade). In some exemplary embodiments,vehicle operators may report good, bad, and/or other types of behavior.For example, if a driver yields to another driver, wave's thank you,and/or provides another driver space to enter a lane, the other drivermay report good behavior about that kind driver.

In accordance with one exemplary aspect, this reputation information canbe shared amongst one or more vehicles and optionally displayed, forexample, on an on-board display. Thus, as, for example a driver commutesto work, reputation information about those drivers around the drivercould be provided one or more of audibly and/or graphically to thedriver on their daily commute. This information could then be utilized,for example, by the driver, to help them avoid drivers with badreputations and/or change their style of driving based on the reputationof one or more drivers around them.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, a driver could “tag” orotherwise identify another driver that is performing well, or badly.This information could be accumulated and optionally assimilated withother reputation information to generate a total combined score forreputation based not only on an individual driver's performance, butalso based on what other drivers think of that particular driver.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, the system is capable ofanalyzing all available information related to driving and vehicleoperation etiquette and is capable of making suggestions to the driverand/or passengers based on the outcome of the data analysis. Forexample, if the vehicle is blocking faster traffic in the fast lane, thesystem may suggest moving over to a slower lane. Similarly, if the useris known to not use turn signals on a regular basis, the system mayremind the user during, after, or anticipating a turn, to use thesignal. For example, to assist with anticipation of a turn, the systemcan cooperate with, for example, a GPS navigation tool, and know when avehicle is about to make a turn in a particular direction based on amapped destination.

Additionally, the system may also be used to detect a fast approachingvehicle and suggest changing lanes, increasing speed, or the like, toavoid a collision or otherwise impeding another driver(s).

Another exemplary aspect is the capability of being able to sendetiquette suggestions to other drivers. This cannot only be limited toetiquette, but could also be information such as you have a tire goingflat, your brake light is out, or the like. As will be appreciated, andfor privacy reasons, certain filters may be implemented that limit orotherwise restrict the amount of information that is communicatible toone or other drivers with the understanding that other drivers may turnoff this feature so they are not able to receive suggestions from theirfellow road mates. For example, a vehicle can be provided with anon-dash display that shows the other vehicles around them. These othervehicles can be detected in accordance with one or more of the perimeteror proximity sensors as discussed herein, and a representation of thatvehicle placed on the display. Upon the user selecting that vehicle, acommunication link could be established with that vehicle therebyallowing the exchange of etiquette or safety type information asdiscussed. Moreover, other types of information could similarly beshared, such as a driver looking for a recommendation on where to findcheap gasoline or a bagel, and other drivers being able to respond tothat query using the same communication link.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, monitored informationcan be utilized by, for example a parent or guardian, to assist withdetermining driving habits of a child. This information could be usedto, for example, provide constructive feedback to improve driving habitsand/or monitor a new driver to determine if they are driving in aninappropriate manner.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, this data can be monitoredremotely, via an app or on a PC, or the like, in real-time or nearreal-time, by a parent or other entity to keep track of a new driver'sbehavior. As with the other embodiments discussed herein, any of theinformation that is monitored by the vehicle can be forwarded to thisremote location for monitoring with this remote location optionallybeing able to provide feedback to the vehicle and the driver.

For example, the remote monitor can be provided with informationrelating to a current vehicle's speed, GPS information, and locallaw/regulation information such that the remote monitor can determinewhether or not the vehicle is compliant with all applicable laws andregulations. The remote monitor could also be populated with variousnotifications indicating if and when the vehicle has broken a particularlaw or regulation, the time and date of that infraction, as well as anability to provide feedback to the driver about their driving behavior.It should be appreciated, however, that this concept need not be limitedto new drivers, but could be extended to any driver, such as commercialdrivers, elderly drivers, and, in general, any driver.

For example, an app can be stored on a parent's communication device,and this app used to monitor the behavior of a teen driver. This appcould optionally run in the background, until a law or regulation isbroken, and then a notification could be provided to the parent,optionally, along with supplemental information, regarding the nature ofthe infraction. One or more of the monitored pieces of data could alsobe provided in conjunction with the notification regarding theinfraction to allow the parent to determine the full scope of theinfraction and the severity thereof. Similarly, plots or othersummary-type information could be provided to the parent that showsaverage driving speed, maximum driving speed, whether or not turnsignals were used, whether or not there was erratic driving behavior, orin general any information related to one or more of the vehicle,driver, and occupants' behavior. As will be appreciated, thisinformation could be stored and logged and used at a later date. Thesenotifications could also be sent via one or more of an e-mail, textmessage, SMS message, or the like, such that a parent could, forexample, immediately call a driver when there has been a grossinfraction or poor driving behaviors exhibited.

The phrases “at least one”, “one or more”, and “and/or” are open-endedexpressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in operation. Forexample, each of the expressions “at least one of A, B and C”, “at leastone of A, B, or C”, “one or more of A, B, and C”, “one or more of A, B,or C” and “A, B, and/or C” means A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, or A, B and C together.

The term “a” or “an” entity refers to one or more of that entity. Assuch, the terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more” and “at least one” can beused interchangeably herein. It is also to be noted that the terms“comprising”, “including”, and “having” can be used interchangeably.

The term “automatic” and variations thereof, as used herein, refers toany process or operation done without material human input when theprocess or operation is performed. However, a process or operation canbe automatic, even though performance of the process or operation usesmaterial or immaterial human input, if the input is received beforeperformance of the process or operation. Human input is deemed to bematerial if such input influences how the process or operation will beperformed. Human input that consents to the performance of the processor operation is not deemed to be “material”.

The term “computer-readable medium” as used herein refers to anytangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate inproviding instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium maytake many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile media,volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media includes, forexample, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks. Volatile media includesdynamic memory, such as main memory. Common forms of computer-readablemedia include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, aCD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any otherphysical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, aFLASH-EPROM, a solid state medium like a memory card, any other memorychip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any othermedium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment toe-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives isconsidered a distribution medium equivalent to a tangible storagemedium. When the computer-readable media is configured as a database, itis to be understood that the database may be any type of database, suchas relational, hierarchical, object-oriented, and/or the like.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include a tangible storagemedium or distribution medium and prior art-recognized equivalents andsuccessor media, in which the software implementations of the presentdisclosure are stored.

The term “display” refers to a portion of a screen used to display theoutput of a computer or computing device to a user.

The term “displayed image” refers to an image produced on the display. Atypical displayed image is a window or desktop. The displayed image mayoccupy all or a portion of the display.

The term “gesture” refers to a user action that expresses an intendedidea, action, meaning, result, and/or outcome. The user action caninclude manipulating a device (e.g., opening or closing a device,changing a device orientation, moving a trackball or wheel, etc.),movement of a body part in relation to the device, movement of animplement or tool in relation to the device, audio inputs, etc. Agesture may be made on a device (such as on the screen) or with thedevice to interact with the device.

The term “module” as used herein refers to any known or later developedhardware, software, firmware, artificial intelligence, fuzzy logic, orcombination of hardware and software that is capable of performing thefunctionality associated with that element.

The term “screen,” “touch screen,” or “touchscreen” refers to a physicalstructure that enables the user to interact with the computer bytouching areas on the screen and provides information to a user througha display. The touch screen may sense user contact in a number ofdifferent ways, such as by a change in an electrical parameter (e.g.,resistance or capacitance), acoustic wave variations, infrared radiationproximity detection, light variation detection, and the like. In aresistive touch screen, for example, normally separated conductive andresistive metallic layers in the screen pass an electrical current. Whena user touches the screen, the two layers make contact in the contactedlocation, whereby a change in electrical field is noted and thecoordinates of the contacted location calculated. In a capacitive touchscreen, a capacitive layer stores electrical charge, which is dischargedto the user upon contact with the touch screen, causing a decrease inthe charge of the capacitive layer. The decrease is measured, and thecontacted location coordinates determined. In a surface acoustic wavetouch screen, an acoustic wave is transmitted through the screen, andthe acoustic wave is disturbed by user contact. A receiving transducerdetects the user contact instance and determines the contacted locationcoordinates.

The terms “determine”, “calculate” and “compute,” and variationsthereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and include any typeof methodology, process, mathematical operation or technique.

It shall be understood that the term “means” as used herein shall begiven its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C.§112, Paragraph 6. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means”shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and allof the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials or actsand the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in anyportion of this document. Any one or more of the embodiments herein cantherefore be claimed using means-type language.

The term “vehicle” as used herein includes any conveyance, or model of aconveyance, where the conveyance was originally designed for the purposeof moving one or more tangible objects, such as people, animals, cargo,and the like. The term “vehicle” does not require that a conveyancemoves or is capable of movement. Typical vehicles may include but are inno way limited to cars, trucks, motorcycles, busses, automobiles,trains, railed conveyances, boats, ships, marine conveyances, submarineconveyances, airplanes, space craft, flying machines, human-poweredconveyances, and the like.

The preceding is a simplified summary of the disclosure to provide anunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is neitheran extensive nor exhaustive overview of the disclosure and its variousaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations. It is intended neither toidentify key or critical elements of the disclosure nor to delineate thescope of the disclosure but to present selected concepts of thedisclosure in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detaileddescription presented below. As will be appreciated, other aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure are possibleutilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features setforth above or described in detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary vehicle monitoring system;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of monitoringand storing data;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary technique for stolenvehicle tracking;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary technique for providingfeedback to a driver based on insurance incentives or disincentives;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary technique for providinglawbreaking indicators;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary technique for obtaininginformation from a vehicle;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary technique for reputationmanagement;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary technique for receivingreputation information;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary technique forassociating a reputation;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary technique forforwarding reputation information to another vehicle or destination;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary technique for providingetiquette suggestions to drivers and/or passengers; and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating exemplary technique to providesuggestions to one or more of drivers and passengers in another vehicle.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label by a letter thatdistinguishes among the similar components. If only the first referencelabel is used in the specification, the description is applicable to anyone of the similar components having the same first reference labelirrespective of the second reference label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary vehicle monitoring system 100. Thevehicle monitoring system 100 includes a vehicle 200, an insuranceentity 300, one or more optional servers 404 and storage 408, aninterrogator 504, one or more other vehicles 604, and a remote monitor704, all of which can be interconnected via one or more wired orwireless links 5 and networks 10.

The vehicle 200 comprised one or more perimeter sensors 204, one or moreG-force sensors 208, one or more proximity sensors 212; one or morecontrollers/processors 216; a GPS module 220; one or more biometricsensors 224; a law module 228, storage and/or memory 232, acommunication module 236, a feedback module 240, one or more of adisplay, speaker and tactile feedback system 244, a passenger detectionand behavior sensor module 248, a mileage monitor 252 and one or morevehicle sensors that sense one or more of turn signals, lights, radio,Bluetooth® use, braking, turning, accelerating, or in general anyfunction of the vehicle 200.

The insurance company or entity 300 includes one or more servers 304, afeedback module 308, an incentive/disincentive module 312, and storage316 all interconnected via one or more links. The servers 404 and 408can be associated with any entity with some of the exemplary entitiesthat are capable of accessing information in the vehicle and/or theinsurance company being law enforcement agencies, other insuranceentities, other drivers, or the like. As will be appreciated, however,some of the information stored in the various storage locations may besensitive and therefore access thereto may be limited.

In operation, and in accordance with one exemplary aspect, if driverdesires to receive better insurance rates for responsible driving orother good driving behaviors, one exemplary technique determines whetheror not a driver should receive a discount or better rates based on theanalysis of the driver's behavior. While the exemplary embodimentdiscussed hereinafter is directed toward vehicle 200, it should beappreciated that these techniques could be driver-centric and based upona driver driving a specific vehicle, with that driver identifyingthemself to the vehicle with this identification being storable andforwardable to the insurance company 300 such that the insurance companyhas granular information about each of the drivers operating vehicle200.

The vehicle 200 is equipped with one or more perimeter sensors 204 thatdetect the vehicles proximity to one or more other objects. Theseperimeter sensors can be one or more of optical, capacitive, infrared,photoelectric, Doppler-based, Eddy-current based, laser based, magnetic,video, infrared, radar based, ultrasonic based technologies, or thelike. In general, any sensor that is capable of detecting one or morenearby objects can be used as a perimeter sensor 204 as discussedherein. These perimeter sensors can be located in one or more locationson a vehicle and are capable of sensing the proximity of the vehicle 204to one or more other objects.

The G-force sensors 208 are able to detect G-forces upon, for example,acceleration, deceleration, or cornering, with this information beingrecordable in cooperation with the controller 216 and storage 232.

The proximity sensors 212 are capable of detecting the vehicle's 200proximity to one or more other vehicles 604. The proximity sensors 212can use similar technology(ies) as the perimeter sensors 204, and can beseparate therefrom or combined therewith. The proximity sensors 212 canalso optionally optimized for detection of one or more other vehiclesnear the vehicle 200. For example, the proximity sensors 212 cancooperate with the GPS module 220, and communicate with a centralrepository (not shown) which tracks a current location of all vehicles.Knowing the current location of all vehicles, the proximity sensor 212,cooperating with the GPS module 220, could determine the vehicles thatare in close proximity to the vehicle 200. In a similar manner, usingany of the above-described sensor technologies, proximity sensors 212could detect the presence of one or more other vehicles that are nearthe vehicle 200 and optionally record detailed information such asdistance from the vehicle 200, approach speed, departure speed, or thelike. As with the other sensors discussed herein, this information isthen storable with the cooperation of the controller 216 in the storage232.

The GPS (global positioning system) module 220, in addition to recordingGPS location information, can also keep track of time and dateinformation and log each trip by start time, end time, driverinformation, and any aspect of the vehicle's behavior such as highestspeed, lowest speed, average speed, journey information, and the like.Again, this information is storable with the cooperation of thecontroller 216 in the storage 232 as discussed.

The vehicle 200 may also be equipped with one or more biometric sensors224 that are capable of detecting any biometric information associatedwith one or more of the driver and passenger(s). These biometric sensors224 can be located in one or more of the steering wheel, seat, vehiclecabin, other in vehicle control(s), such as in the turn signal switch,cruise control controller and climate control controllers, and areadapted to record any desired biometric characteristic for recording inthe storage 232.

The law module 228 is capable of monitoring one or more of local lawsand regulations appropriate for the vehicle's 200 location. For example,the law module 228 can cooperate with the GPS module 220 as well as thecommunication module 236 to receive local laws/regulations from acentral repository (not shown) which stores the local laws/regulationsfor that particular geographic area. These laws and regulations caninclude such information as speed limit, whether a right turn on red isallowed, whether there are any applicable noise ordinances, whether avehicle needs to yield to passengers in a crosswalk, and in general caninclude any laws and/or regulations for that particular geographic area.As will be discussed hereinafter, the information managed by the lawmodule 228 can be used by various other systems such as the feedbackmodule 240 to provide feedback to the driver regarding, for example,whether or not they are in compliance with the local laws/regulations.

Communication module 236, in addition to being able to handlecommunications between the vehicle 200 and another entity, such as theinsurance company 300 or servers 404, can also manage communicationsbetween the vehicle and other vehicle 604 as well as the remote monitor704 and interrogator 504 discussed hereinafter. Moreover, thecommunication module 236 can include on-board diagnostics (OBD-II) orcomparable input(s) from which data can also be aggregated and stored inthe storage 232.

The various feedback elements 244 can include one or more of a display,such as a touch-screen display, the multi-screen display as disclosed inthe related application(s), one or more speakers, as well as a tactilefeedback device(s). More specifically, the display can be, for example,a vehicle installed display, such as an on-board navigation system, oralternatively, and in cooperation with the communication module 236, thevehicle 200 can be paired with an aftermarket display, such as oneassociated with a GPS device, a Smartphone, a tablet computer, or ingeneral any apparatus that has a display that is capable ofcommunicating with the communication module 236 and therefore thevehicle 200. Similarly, manufacture-installed speakers can be used toprovide feedback in addition to one or more of a Smartphone speaker, andin general any speaker that can be paired with or otherwise associatedwith the vehicle 200 can be used. Tactile feedback devices include, forexample, vibrating elements in one or more of the seat, steering wheel,or other vehicle controls, as well as optionally include the ability toprovide tactile feedback, such as through the triggering of the vibratorof a Smartphone or cellphone that is paired with the vehicle 200 withthe cooperation of the communication module 236.

Passenger detection behavior sensor module 248 allows one or morepassenger and driver behaviors to be sensed via, for example, one ormore of a camera, passenger presence detector in the seats, or via anyother sensor that is capable of determining whether or not a passenger,or a pet, is also present in the vehicle with the driver. The passengerdetection and behavior sensor module 248 allows, for example, one ormore of the monitoring of the driver watching the road, falling asleep,texting, talking on the phone, being distracted by food or entertainmentoptions, or in general is capable of monitoring any behavior of one ormore of the drivers, passengers, pets or cargo in the vehicle.

The mileage monitor 252 can optionally cooperate with the GPS module 220to track mileage that the vehicle 200 has done. Again, and as with anyof the other sensors or modules, information relating to the operationthereto can be stored in storage 232 in cooperation with controller 216as necessary.

Other vehicle sensors 256 include one or more of sensors associated withturn signals, lights, radio or entertainment system, a Bluetooth®system, the brakes, the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, and ingeneral, as discussed, can include any sensor that is capable ofmonitoring the operation of any aspect of the vehicle 200 optionally inconjunction with any information received over one or more bussesassociated with a vehicle, such as an OBD-II system. Again, anyinformation sensible by one or more of the vehicle sensors 256 iscapable of being stored in storage 232.

In accordance with the first exemplary operational embodiment, the GPSmodule 220, mileage monitor 252, and controller 216 detect that thevehicle has been started and/or is in motion. In conjunction with thisdetection, a GPS module 220 can record the current vehicle location,time of day, date information, and any other information related to thevehicles trip, in storage 232. Furthermore, controller 216 can enable adata collection mode for any one or more of the sensors and modulesdiscussed herein such that data logging can also commence. As discussedabove, and during operation of the vehicle, one or more of perimeterdata, G-force data, proximity data, GPS data, biometric data, vehicledata, including, for example, braking data, acceleration data, turnsignal data, light data, radio data, entertainment system data,Bluetooth® data, etc., passenger data, and mileage data are collectedfrom the appropriate sensor(s) and stored in the storage 232.

This information can be stored in storage 232 until a later time orforwarded, for example in real-time, with the cooperation of thecommunication module 236 to the insurance company 300 via one or morelinks 5 and communication networks 10. This information upon beingreceived by the insurance company 300, is parsed to determine anidentification of one or more of the vehicle and/or driver with whichthis data is associated, and then, in cooperation with server 304,stored in storage 316. As previously discussed, this information canoptionally be forwarded to one or more other destinations, such asservers 404 and storage 408, to the interrogator 504, and the like, asdiscussed hereinafter.

In accordance with an optional exemplary embodiment, the storage 232 cantransmit its information to one or more other entities, such as theinsurance company 300, at a predetermined time during the day, such asduring low network-traffic times in the middle of the night, and/orutilize, for example, a high-speed network communication link associatedwith the driver's home for uploading the data. For example, upon thevehicle 200 returning to the driver's home, the communication module 236can detect that the driver's home Wi-Fi is range and commence theappropriate procedures to logon to the Wi-Fi and begin transmission ofone or more portions of the data stored in storage 232 to anotherentity, such as insurance company 300.

In accordance with another exemplary operational embodiment, that couldbe particularly useful when a vehicle is stolen, one or more of the GPSmodule 220 and controller 216 determine that vehicle 200 has beenparked. The GPS information available from the GPS module 220 isrecorded in conjunction with time and date information as well as otheroptional information such as whether or not the doors are locked,whether or not the alarm is engaged, whether or not the doors and/orwindows are closed, whether or not the sunroof is closed or top is up,whether there is cargo in the vehicle, or any other informationavailable from the vehicle sensor 256. This information can optionallybe forwarded, with the cooperation of the communication module 236, toone or more of the insurance company 300 or another destination, such asservers 404 and storage 408. If, for example, a theft of the vehicle isreported, the GPS module 220 can be activated and optionally provide, inreal-time, that information via communication module 236 to one or moreof the insurance company 300, local law enforcement, or the like.Moreover, and in cooperation with the controller 216, the vehicle canprovide one or more of the owner and the insurance company 300notification that the vehicle has been stolen. For example, an exemplarymethod in which the controller 216 can trigger this activity is thedetection of the moving of the vehicle without an appropriate key havingstarted the vehicle. Moreover, in addition to being able to sendinformation in real-time, or at a predetermined later time, the vehicle200 can optionally execute evasive action with the cooperation of thecontroller 216 and any one or more of the sensors discussed herein, incooperation with, for example, the engine control unit, a braking unit,an ignition unit, or the like. In this manner, the vehicle canappropriately be “shut down,” slowed down, or otherwise completely orpartially disabled to assist with the vehicle recovery. Moreover, thecontroller 216 can instruct one or more of the sensors and/or modulesdiscussed herein to start recording specific information to, forexample, try to capture a picture of the thief in the driver's seat.

In accordance with an optional exemplary embodiment, the controller 216,upon detecting the theft of a vehicle, can automatically commencecommunications with local law enforcement agencies and relay the varioustypes of information discussed herein to that law enforcement agency toassist with recovery of the vehicle. Again, any information, such as GPSinformation, a video or camera feed from the on-board camera, or thelike, can be sent to the local law enforcement agency to not only assistwith recovery of the vehicle, but prosecution of the perpetrator.

In accordance with another exemplary operational embodiment, the systemcan provide feedback, via one or more of the feedback module 240 and thedisplay/speakers/tactile feedback 244 to the driver. More specifically,this feedback can be provided based on an assessment as to whether ornot insurance company 300 wishes to incentivize of disincentivize aparticular driver's actions behind the wheel. As discussed, any one ormore of the sensors and modules can record data related to the operationof the vehicle and/or driver and/or passenger behavior. Thisinformation, being stored in storage 232, is then accessible by one ormore of the feedback module 240 associated with the vehicle, or thefeedback module 308 associated with the insurance company 300. Based ona set of, for example, rules, a determination is made as to whetherthere have been one or more triggering events that have occurred thatcan be correlated to either incentivizing a driver's behavior, ordisincentivizing a driver's behavior. For example, either or both of thefeedback modules can analyze the data stored in storage 232, orcomparable data that has been forwarded with the communication module236 to storage 316 to determine whether, for example, a threshold hasbeen met.

For example, erratic driving behavior, failure to use appropriate turnsignaling or lighting, abrupt braking, or deceleration, constant use ofa cellphone, or Bluetooth® services, or the like, can all be activitiesthat an insurance company may want to disincentivize a driver for usethereof.

Alternatively, if the analysis of the data by the feedback module(s)determine that the driver always (or mostly) complies with applicablelaws and regulations, always uses their turn signals and drives thevehicle in a safe, consistent, and smooth manner, this could becharacterized as activities that an insurance company would want toincentivize a driver for.

Incentivization or disincentivization can work in a number of differentexemplary manners. In accordance with the first exemplary embodiment,this information is tracked and analyzed and then used for determiningwhether or not, for example, a particular driver's policy will berenewed, and/or whether there is going to be an increase or decrease oftheir annual premiums.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, feedback can beprovided to the driver, with the cooperation of the feedback module 308and incentive/disincentive module 312 either in real-time, as discussedbelow, or for example at some other time. In accordance with oneexemplary embodiment, and based on an analysis of the data associatedwith a particular driver over a certain time period, the feedback module308 determines that the driver is performing in an excellent manner, andthe feedback module 308, cooperating with the incentive/disincentivemodule 312, could automatically establish a communication, such as viathe phone, with the driver at a number stored in storage 316 tocongratulate them on their good performance and optionally offer themfurther incentives or discounts to continue performing in the same orsimilar manner.

This type of positive feedback could similarly be sent, via thecooperation of the feedback module 308, incentive/disincentive module312 and communication module 236 to the feedback module 240 located inthe vehicle. The feedback module 240 could then determine theappropriate manner to display the incentive information such as via oneor more of the display, speaker, and through tactile feedback. Thiscould optionally be done in a manner, such as when the vehicle isstopped, to minimize distraction to the driver.

Analyzing the stored data to determine any appropriate disincentive canwork in a similar manner again with the cooperation of theincentive/disincentive module 312, feedback module 308, server 304,storage 316, as well as optionally in cooperation with the communicationmodule 236 and feedback module 240. In accordance with an exemplaryembodiment, if analysis of the stored data reveals that the driver isbehaving in an erratic manner, such that it is determined via theproximity sensors 212 that the vehicle is coming close to contactingother vehicles, the G-force sensor is recording high G-force inputs, andthe accelerator and brake sensors indicate erratic behavior, this systemcan optionally enter a real-time feedback mode such that the driver canbe contacted, for example, ask them whether there is a problem orrecommend a change in their driving habits.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, one or more of the feedbackmodules are monitoring the stored data in real-time and are able toprovide immediate feedback to a driver to assist them with, for example,avoiding hitting an object or another vehicle. For example, one or moreof the data feeds from the perimeter sensors and proximity sensors 212can be monitored and upon a threshold being detected, the feedbackmodules cooperating with one or more of the display, speakers, andtactile feedback devices 244 alert the driver that they are gettingprecariously close to another object or vehicle.

In a similar manger, information from one or more of the biometricsensors 244 can be analyzed and if it is determined based on, forexample, because of a slower heart rate and breathing rhythm the driveris dozing off, the feedback module 240 can again “stimulate” the drivervia one or more of the display, speaker, tactile feedback devices 244 toassist with waking them up. For example, the driver's seat could beshaken and, in cooperation with controller 216, the temperature in thevehicle turned down since being cold has a tendency to make a drivermore alert. As will be appreciated, since there are rich feedbackdevices available, feedback need not be limited as simply shaking adriver's seat, adjusting the temperature, or playing an alert sound.Rather, the feedback information can be rich and provided on one or moreof the display and speaker devices such that detailed information about,for example, the driver's behavior, incentive or disincentiveinformation is communicated.

For example, an analysis of the data could reveal that the driver isperforming in a manner that is consistent with all laws and regulations(as confirmed by the law module 228), and is consistently using turnsignals and uniformly and safely controlling the vehicle. Feedbackindicating this pattern could be provided on the display 244 with thefeedback communicating to the driver that they are thanked for theirgood driving behaviors and that they can except to see a discount onnext month's bill.

In a similar manner, based on an analysis of the data, feedback can beprovided to the driver such as “you are breaking the speed limit by morethan 25 miles an hour. This could have a very negative impact on yourinsurance renewal rates. Please consider your driving behavior in lightof this possibility.”

It should further be appreciated that this information need notnecessarily be displayed on a display, but, in cooperation with thecontroller 216, the received information could go through atext-to-speech converter and played on the one or more speakers.

In accordance with a further exemplary embodiment, this informationcould be forwarded to a destination, such as an e-mail addressassociated with the driver and stored on record with the insurancecompany such that the driver can view at a later time.

In accordance with another optional exemplary embodiment, and since thesystem is able to aggregate data from a multitude of vehicles, one ormore portions of the aggregated data can be analyzed to determine, forexample, average driver behavior, erratic driver behavior, and gooddriver behavior, with this analysis being able to be fed back to thesystem to assist with determining one or more rules that are used in theanalysis of received data from a specific vehicle. This could becomplemented with machine learning techniques to assist with determiningone or more of the rules and thresholds.

As will be appreciated, this data can also be mined for a plurality ofother uses such as by one or more of departments of transportation,local law enforcement, traffic planners and analyzers, and in generalany entity that has a use in following, analyzing, and/or studyingtraffic or driver behaviors.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the system monitorsbehavior to determine whether or not one or more laws or regulationshave been broken. As discussed, the GPS module 220, upon determining avehicle's current location, can download the applicable laws/regulationsto the law module 228. The law module 228, cooperating with one or moreof the controller 216 and storage 232 analyzes information from any ofthe various sensors, such as speed information, turn signal information,volume information, and the like. This information is then compared withinformation in the law module 228 (such as a set of rules) to determinewhether or not one or more laws or regulations have been broken.

As will be appreciated, the law module 228 need not necessarily downloadall the applicable laws/regulations from a central repository via thecommunication module 236, but in an alternative exemplary embodiment cancommunicate with this central repository and then make the analysis asto whether one or more laws or regulations have been broken. If a law orregulation has been broken, the system can perform any one or more ofthe following actions. In accordance with the first exemplaryembodiment, notification regarding the violation is sent to one or moreentities. In addition to indicating the type of violation, informationsuch as location information, vehicle information, driver information,license plate information, and the like can be forwarded with the typeof infraction. As a specific example, if there is a school zone with aspeed limit of 15 miles per hour, and the GPS detects that while thevehicle is in the school zone and the school zone is active that the caris driving at a rate of 33 miles per hour, this information could becommunicated to an entity, with the cooperation of the communicationmodule 236, controller 216, and storage 232, such as local lawenforcement.

As will be appreciated, the information in the law module can also havean indication as to which geographic location those particularlaws/regulations are applicable to. Therefore, this information can bereconciled with vehicle location information obtained by the GPS module220 to determine whether the vehicle is in compliance with those lawsand regulations for that specific geographic area.

In addition to, or as an alternative to communicating the infraction toone or more other entities, the feedback module 240, cooperating withthe law module 228, GPS module 220, controller 216, and storage 232 cancommunicate with the display, speaker, or tactile feedback devices 244and could also provide an indication to the driver if they are not incompliance with one or more laws and/or regulations. This informationcan optionally be very detailed in nature, for example, “The speed limitin this area is 55, and you are driving 72.” Alternatively, or inaddition, feedback can be very simple such as a tone plate over thespeakers, a “slow down” message shown on the display or a simplevibration of the seat to alert the driver that they are not incompliance with one or more of the applicable laws and regulations.

As discussed above, this information could also be sent to the insurancecompany 300 recorded in storage 316 and/or optionally be considered bythe feedback module 308 and incentive/disincentive module 312 whendetermining whether or not an incentive or disincentive should beprovided to a specific driver.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, this stored informationcan be utilized for interrogation purposes of the vehicle as well. Morespecifically, an interrogator 504, such as a law enforcement official, a“rule trap” for example installed along the roadside or in a road can beused to catch law or regulation violators. Similarly, an accidentinvestigator, or the like, is able to query the vehicle 202 and retrievestored information therefrom. This interrogator can be wired or wirelessand cooperate with one or more of the communication module 236 and withstorage 232.

In accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the interrogator generatesa query which is sent to the vehicle 202 requesting specificinformation. This information can be as broad as “all data” or could bemore focused for example “within the last 10 minutes,” for a specificgeographic area, on a specific road, at a specific traffic light, sincethe vehicle started, or in general for any time period, at any locationor area. This information could then be used by a law enforcement agencyto, for example, issue a ticket, corroborate information from one oftheir sensors, such as radar or LADAR, and/or an addition be used toassist with accident reconstruction. This could be particularly valuableto determine, for example, whether or not a vehicle was speeding orapplying the brakes before hitting object.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the “rule trap”utilizes the same techniques to secure information from the vehicle 200to assist with, for example, one or more of law enforcement, vehicleregistration, proof of insurance, or the like. In accordance with thisexemplary embodiment, the rule trap 504 could be positioned alongside,for example, a road, with the rule trap 504 interrogating every car or apredefined number of cars, as they pass the rule trap. The rule trap 504could query the vehicle for specific information, such as what is thevehicle's current speed, as well as identifying information such as VINinformation, license plate information and/or driver information. Havingthis information, the rule trap 504 could make a determination as towhether an infraction has occurred and then coordinate with theappropriate authorities to issue, for example, a speeding ticket.

An exemplary advantage associated with this particular configuration isthat it is the vehicle 200 that is providing the data as opposed to someother data acquisition means. Therefore, since GPSs and other relatedvehicle sensors are typically very accurate, information that can beprovided by the vehicle during interrogation tends to be much moreaccurate than other data acquisition means, such as radar.

An optional aspect includes the ability to determine whether or not thequery from the interrogator 504 is authorized. In addition to being ableto determine whether the query is authorized, the controller 216 canalso limit access to information in the storage 232 based on one or morerules. For example, acceptable queries could be limited to lawenforcement agency officers and rule traps and accident investigators,however, queries from another vehicle would be refused. In a similarmanner, the controller 216 can filter the types of information availablein response to the query based on one or more rules that can be one ormore predefined, user defined, or vehicle defined. For example, a rulemay specify data is available to a law enforcement officer only if thatdata is related to a one mile radius of where the vehicle was stoppedand interrogated.

As generally discussed above, in addition to data regarding theoperation of the driver and/or vehicle 200, a response to the query fromthe interrogator 504 can also optionally include information such asvehicle registration information and proof of insurance. Therefore, inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment the vehicle 200 also storeselectronically vehicle registration and proof of insurance informationin the storage 232 that can be electronically updated, via thecommunication module 236, from one or more of the appropriate entitiessuch as the Department of Motor Vehicles and an insurance company.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the passengerdetection-behavior sensor module 248 also records a reputation value fora particular driver. Similar to some of the other embodiments disclosedherein, the behavior sensor module 248 can analyze any one or more ofthe portions of stored data and develop a driver reputation based onthat analysis. The reputation can be, for example, excellent driver,good driver, average driver, poor driver, aggressive driver, new driver,elderly driver, or in general any identifier that appropriatelydescribes a driver in vehicle 200. This reputation information can, forexample, be forwarded to one or more entities, such as insurance company300, server 404, and storage 408, to the interrogator 504, to a remotemonitor 704, and optionally shared with another vehicle(s) 604.

More specifically, this reputation information can be shared with one ormore nearby vehicles that are detected with the cooperation of theproximity sensor 212 and the communication module 236. This could beparticularly advantageous for surrounding drivers to appreciate aparticular reputation or skill level of surrounding drivers. Inaccordance with one exemplary embodiment, information regarding thereputation of surrounding drivers can be graphically displayed on thedisplay device 244 and presented to the driver visually such that they,for example, can see a picture of one or more of the vehicles aroundthem and a label identifying the reputation of the driver associatedwith that vehicle. This information could be particularly advantageousto, for example, allow a driver to avoid another driver who has anaggressive reputation. In a similar manner, it can allow a driver togive a novice driver extra room appreciating that they may be new to theroad.

This reputation could also be used as a “quick and dirty” means for theinsurance company 300 to determine whether or not a driver is performingpoorly in lieu of analyzing one or more of the portions of data storedin storage 232.

It is to be appreciated this reputation information can be updated on aregular or semi-regular basis or, for example, if a triggering eventoccurs that warrants the changing of the reputation information from onereputation to another.

In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment, the reputationinformation could be updated or supplemented with reputation informationreceived from one or more other drivers. In accordance with thisexemplary embodiment, reputation information could be a “social status”such that the vehicle 200 is able to receive reputation submissions fromone or more other vehicles.

As an example, a first driver sees a second driver that appears to beobeying all laws and appropriately uses signals, and waves after theychange lanes, the second driver could provide feedback to them, thefeedback indicating that they are a good, courteous driver. Thisinformation could then be assimilated into the behavior module 248 andoptionally used to update the reputation of that driver. In a similarmanner, drivers could accumulate “scores” while other drivers areevaluating them on the road. Thus, a good driver could have hundreds of“thumbs up” while a dangerous and aggressive driver may have thousandsof “thumbs down.” As with the other data, this information could also beevaluated by one or more of the interrogator 504, insurance company 300,or other entity to assess with determining the particular driver'sdriving habits.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, where a driver desires toassociate reputation information with another vehicle, that othervehicle is initially identified. This can be via one or more of theproximity sensor, via Bluetooth®, via license plate data, or through thesensing of an open communications system that can used for the exchangeof reputation information. Having identified the vehicle with whichreputation information is to be associated, a user than selects anappropriate reputation value which is sent or otherwise associated withthe identified vehicle.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, instead of thisreputation information being forwarded to the other vehicle, thereputation information is stored in storage 232, and at a later time,and in cooperation with the communication module 236, sent to, forexample, a central repository that can optionally be queried by one ormore entities. The information stored in the central repository couldalso optionally be pushed to the vehicle that the reputation informationwas associated with and optionally stored in that vehicle's storage.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, etiquette suggestionscan be provided by analyzing one or more portions of the stored data andmaking an “etiquette” suggestion based on the outcome of the dataanalysis. In addition to the analysis of the data, behavior sensor 248,in cooperation with controller 216, storage 232, and law module 228 canthen compare the data with one or more of any applicable laws, rules,regulations, traffic data, local customs, traffic conditions, or thelike. If appropriate, the results of this analysis can be used by thebehavior sensor module 248 to provide feedback, with the cooperation ofthe feedback module 240, in the form of an etiquette suggestion to thedriver. As an example, if an automobile is blocking faster traffic inthe fast lane, the system can suggest that the driver move over to aslower lane. Similarly, if the driver is known to not use turn signals,the system may remind the driver during, after, or anticipating a turn,to use their turn signals. And similarly, the system may also detect afast approaching vehicle and suggest changing lanes, increasing speed,etc., utilizing one or more of the feedback devices such as on adisplay, audibly via the speakers or with tactile feedback through oneor more of the steering wheel, seat, or the like. As with the other dataand determined results discussed herein, this etiquette suggestion canbe stored in storage 232, and optionally forwarded to one or more otherentities, such as interrogator 504, another vehicle 604, insurancecompany 300, etc.

As will be appreciated, some drivers may not want to receive etiquettesuggestions so a filter can be equipped in the behavior sensor module248 that allows, for example, a driver to turn on or off the etiquettesuggestion or limit the types of suggestions that are provided to thedriver. As another example, and for a new driver, the system may berequested to operate with increased sensitivity to provide moreetiquette suggestions than normal to try to improve a young or newdriver's performance. As will be appreciated, this should be done in amanner that does not distract the new or inexperienced driver with thisdetermination being based on, for example, a driver profile. This driverprofile can have such information as age, number of years driving, name,drivers license information, whether or not there are any specialrestrictions on the license, or the like. Moreover, this driver profileinformation can include preferences such as temperature or climatecontrol preferences, volume preferences, display preferences, and thelike, such that when feedback is provided by one of the feedback devices244, the preferences in the driver profile govern how that feedbackshould be provided. For example, for an elderly driver, any audiblefeedback may be broadcast at a higher volume than normal. Similarly,another driver may not like to have display device 244 flash variousmessages to them because they find it distractive. Here, the drivercould specify that all messages from one of the feedback devices, viaanother mechanism such as audibly or through tactile feedback.

Similar to the embodiment discussed above regarding reputationinformation, etiquette information can be provided to one or more otherdrivers and in a similar manner provided to the other driver(s) eitherin real-time or at a later time as discussed above. Therefore, thebehavior sensor module 248, cooperating with one or more of theproximity sensor 212, controller 216, and storage 232 cooperates withthe user to identify a vehicle to associate an etiquette suggestion.Similar to the above embodiment, this association can be done via one ormore of license plate entry or identification, an internet protocoladdress, Bluetooth® address, an interrogation technique, via RFID, vianear-field communication, or in general any other technique that allowsa first vehicle to positively identify another vehicle. This could alsobe done in cooperation with, for example, a touch-screen displayinstalled in the vehicle 200 where surrounding vehicles are graphicallyshown on the display, and the user selects the vehicle by touching onthe vehicle to which they want to send the etiquette suggestion. Theuser than selects the etiquette suggestion, by, for example, speakinginto microphone which is then speech-to-text converted into a message,by typing into the touchscreen display, selecting from a canned set ofetiquette suggestions, or the like, that is then forwarded, with thecooperation of the communication module 236, to the communication moduleof the receiving vehicle.

Upon receiving this etiquette suggestion, a determination can be made asto whether the suggestion should be provided to the driver and/orpassengers in the vehicle or optionally stored for a later time. In asimilar manner to the above-discussed embodiment, the receiving vehiclecan be equipped with a filter that governs the handling of receivedetiquette suggestions and filters based on one or more of suggestioncontent, driver profile, or the like. In a similar manner, thisetiquette suggestion can be sent to a central repository and provided tothe driver of the vehicle at a later time, such as via an e-mail, aphone call, downloaded to the vehicle for a display at a later time, orthe like. Similarly, this etiquette suggestion can be provided to anyentity in the vehicle monitoring system.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary technique for monitoring and storingdata aggregated by the vehicle monitoring system. In particular, controlbegins in step S200 and continues to step S210. In step S210, thevehicle being started or set into motion is detected. Next, in step S220data collection and monitoring is enabled. Then, in step S230, data fromone or more of the vehicle's sensors is aggregated and collected. Asdiscussed, this data can be related to one or more of perimeter data,G-force data, proximity data, GPS data, time and date data, biometricdata, vehicle data, such as braking data, accelerator data, turn signaldata, light data, radio data, Bluetooth® data, and the like, passengerdata, mileage data, camera data, and in general can be any of the typesof data as discussed herein. Control then continues to step S240.

In step S240, the harvested data is one or more of stored and optionallyforwarded in real-time or near real-time to a third party, such as aninsurance company. Next, in step S250, the stored data can optionally beforwarded to one or more other destinations such as a home computer, aremote computer, a Smartphone, or in general any location that iscapable of receiving the data aggregated by the vehicle. Control thencontinues to step S260 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary technique for assisting with stolenvehicle tracking and/or recovery. In particular, control begins in stepS300 and continues to step S310. In step S310 the vehicle is detected asbeing parked. This can be done, for example, by detecting the removal ofthe key from the ignition and the vehicle being turned off. Next, instep S320, one or more of GPS coordinate information, time information,and other information related to the status of the vehicle is recorded.This information can include, for example, whether or not the doors arelocked, whether or not the windows are up, whether or not the sunroof isopen, whether an alarm is set, and in general any characteristic thatwould either make a vehicle harder or easier to steal being recorded.Control then continues to step S330.

In step S330, the recorded information can optionally be forwarded to aninsurance company or other location(s) so that they have the last knowngood information about the vehicle. If a theft is not reported, controlcontinues to step S340 where the control sequence ends.

If a theft is reported, control jumps to step S332. In step S332, and ifpossible, GPS tracking can be automatically or remotely enabled. Forexample, and in accordance with the automatic embodiment, if it isdetected that the vehicle is moving without the ignition having receivedthe correct key, GPS tracking can automatically be invoked. This couldalso be performed remotely such as by an insurance company, local lawenforcement, or the like, once they establish communication with thevehicle. Next, in step S334, one or more of the owner and/or insurancecompany and/or local law enforcement can be notified about the theft.This can be done automatically by the vehicle in conjunction with acommunication module where an outbound message is sent to one or more ofthese entities on any available communications device or media type.Similarly, if the insurance company is monitoring a vehicle that hasbeen identified as stolen, the insurance company could notify the ownerand provide them with information as appropriate. Then, in step S336,evasive action can optionally commence execution on the vehicle. Asdiscussed, this can include one or more of shutting the vehicle down,locking the doors, rolling up the windows, disabling some or all of thevehicle systems, automatically applying the brake, allowing remotecontrol of the vehicle, or the like. Control then continues to stepS338.

In step S338, any of these activities can further be optionallycoordinated with local law enforcement or the police to help ensure asafe and swift recovery of the stolen vehicle. Control then continues tostep S339 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary technique for providing feedback to, forexample, a driver, based on an analysis of one or more portions of dataaggregated by the vehicle. In particular, control begins in step S400and continues to step S410. In step S410, one or more portions of thedata are accessed for analysis. Next, in step S420, an analysis isperformed on the one or more portions of data. Then, in step S430, adetermination is made whether a triggering event has occurred that canbe correlated to an incentive or disincentive by an insurance company.For example, this determination can be made relative to one or morerules either stored (after downloading) in the vehicle, or remotelocation, such as hosted by an insurance company. If it is determinedthat there has not been a triggering event, control jumps back to stepS420. Otherwise, control continues to step S440.

In step S440, a determination is made as to whether real-time feedbackshould be provided. If real-time feedback is to be provided, controljumps to step S442 with control otherwise continuing to step S450.

In step S450, a determination is made as to whether the feedback shouldbe provided at a later time. If the feedback is to be provided at alater time, control continues to step S460 where the feedback isprovided via one or more communications modalities, with controlcontinuing to step S470 where the control sequence ends. If the feedbackis not to be provided at a later time, control jumps directly to stepS470 where the control sequence ends.

If real-time feedback is to be provided to, for example the driver, instep S442 communication is established with one or more of the display,speakers, tactile devices, driver's Smartphone, or the like. Then, instep S444 this feedback is provided in one or more of audibly, visually,or tactilely, such as via one or more vibrations with control continuingto step S446 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary technique for providing an indicator asto whether or not a law or regulation has been broken. In particular,control begins in step S500 and continues to step S510. In step S510, acurrent GPS location of the vehicle is retrieved. Next, in step S520,the laws and/or regulations for the retrieved GPS location are retrievedfrom one or more of a local location, such as a storage location in thevehicle, or from one or more remote locations. Knowing the applicablelaws and/or regulations for the vehicle's current geographic area, instep S530 data from one or more of the vehicle's sensors is monitored.Then, in step S540, a determination is made as to whether data from oneor more of the vehicle's sensors is indicative of a law and/orregulation having been broken. If a law or regulation has not beenbroken, control jumps to step S550 where the control sequence ends.Otherwise, control continues to step S560.

In step S560, a determination is made as to whether feedback should beprovided about the infraction. If feedback is to be provided, in stepS562 communication is established with one or more of the display,speaker, tactile devices, user's Smartphone, or the like. Next, in stepS564, feedback is provided notifying the driver that there has been aninfraction. As discussed, this notification can be one or more ofaudible, visual, and tactile, such as via one or more vibrations, withcontrol continuing to step S566 where the control sequence ends.

Alternatively, if the infraction is to be reported, control continues tostep S570. In step S570, one or more of reporting, recording, orforwarding of a notification of the infraction is sent to one or moreentities, such as local law enforcement, insurance companies, or thelike. Control then continues to step S580 where the control sequenceends.

FIG. 6 outlines an exemplary technique for querying information from avehicle. This technique could be particularly useful to, for example,local law enforcement, a rule trap, an accident investigator, or thelike. Control begins in step S600, with the querying entity, andcontinues to step S610. In step S610, a vehicle to be queried isidentified. Next, in step S620, a query is assembled and forwarded tothe identified vehicles specifying one or more of time and locationinformation. As will be appreciated, this time and location informationcan be very granular, or it could be very general, such as within thelast year, all recorded data, or the like. Then, via either a wiredand/or wireless communication protocol, the query is forwarded where itis received by the vehicle in step S622.

Next, in step S624, it is optionally determined whether the query isauthorized. For example, a check can be performed using, for example,authenticatable signatures, as to whether or not the query is from anauthorized source, such as local law enforcement, a government employee,an accident investigator, or the like. Then, in step S626, and inresponse to receiving the query, vehicle registration and/or insuranceinformation can also be gathered and bundled with the response to thequery. Then, in step S626, the response to the query is assembled bygathering the requested data and/or registration and/or insuranceinformation, with, in step S629, the response to the query beingreturned to the querying entity.

Then, in step S630, and at the querying entity, the response to thequery is received. Control then continues to step S640.

In step S640, the data corresponding to the query can be one or morerecorded, displayed, printed, viewed, or the like. Control thencontinues to step S650 where a determination is made as to whether afurther query is appropriate. If a further query is appropriate, controljumps back to step S610 with control otherwise continuing to step S660where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 7 outlines an exemplary technique for assembling a reputation. Inparticular, control begins in step S700 and continues to step S710. Instep S710, one or more portions of the vehicle data are analyzed. Next,in step S720, a reputation value is developed and stored based on theanalysis of the data. As discussed, this analysis can look to certainmetrics, thresholds, and/or average behavior patterns and determinewhether a particular vehicle's and/or driver's reputation value or indexshould be set. Control then continues to step S730.

In step S730, this determined reputation value can then optionally beforwarded to one or more entities, such as an insurance company, lawenforcement, or the like. Next, in step S740, this reputation value canalso optionally be shared with one or more other vehicles such thatother vehicles are privy to the reputation associated with a particularvehicle/driver combination. Control then continues to step S750 where adetermination is made whether the reputation value should be updated. Ifthe reputation value should be updated, control jumps back to step S710with control otherwise continuing to step S760 where the controlsequence ends.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary technique for receiving reputationinformation from, for example, one or more other vehicles. Controlbegins in step S800 and continues to step S810. In step S810, a requestto receive reputation information is received. Next, in step S820, andoptionally, one or more rules are parsed to determine if the requestshould be granted. If the request is granted, in step S830 reputationinformation can be received and stored with control continuing to stepS840 where the control sequence ends. If however, for example, the oneor more rules indicate that a vehicle is not receiving reputationinformation, or not receiving certain types of reputation information,the request to receive the reputation information can be denied wherethe control sequence would end.

FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary technique for associating reputationinformation with one or more other vehicles. In particular, controlbegins in step S900 and continues to step S910. In step S910, a vehicleto associate the reputation information is identified using, forexample, one or more of license plate information, via a communicationsquery, graphically by using touchscreen, or the like, as discussed.Next, in step S920, one or more reputation values are selected. This canagain be done using one or more predetermined reputation values, or acustom reputation value could be entered. Once the reputation value(s)has been selected, control continues to step S930 where the reputationvalues are forwarded to a repository(ies) and stored. Once stored, thereputation value(s) can optionally be queried, retrieved and displayedto the identified vehicle driver, or the like. Control then continues tostep S940 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 10 outlines an exemplary technique for associating reputationinformation with a vehicle. In particular, control begins in step S1000and continues to steps S1010. In step S1010, a vehicle is identifiedwith which to associate reputation information. This identification canbe done via one or more of license plate information, internet protocoladdress information, Bluetooth® address information, an interrogationtechnique, using RFID or near-field communications, or in general anyother communications protocol or technique that allows another vehicleto be identified. Moreover, and as previously discussed, this can bedone by selecting an icon graphically representing the vehicle withwhich reputation information should be associated, that vehicle havingbeen detected by, for example, a proximity sensor as described. Next, instep S1020 the reputation information is assembled. This reputationinformation can be selected from, for example, a predefined list, oroptionally entered as a custom reputation. Control then continues tostep S1030.

In step S1030, the reputation information is forwarded to one or more ofthe identified vehicle or some other destination. Next, in step S1040,an optional step of confirming that the reputation information wasassociated with that vehicle can be performed. Control then continues tostep S1050 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 11 outlines an exemplary technique for providing an etiquettesuggestion. In particular, control begins in step S1100 and continues tostep S1110. In step S1110, one or more portions of data are analyzed.Next, in step S1120, the data is optionally compared with one or more ofapplicable laws, rules, regulations, traffic data, local customs,traffic conditions, or the like. Then, in step S1130, an etiquettesuggestion is determined and stored. Control then continues to stepS1140.

In step S1140, this determined etiquette suggestion can optionally beforwarded to one or more entities, aside from the driver. Next, in stepS1150, a determination is made as to whether to provide the etiquettesuggestion to the driver and/or passenger(s). If the etiquettesuggestion is not to be provided, control continues to step S1170 wherethe etiquette suggestion can optionally be stored with controlcontinuing to step S1180 where the control sequence ends.

If the etiquette suggestion is to be provided to the driver, controljumps to step S1160 where the etiquette suggestion is provided to one ormore of the driver and/or passenger via, one or more of the display,speakers, tactile feedback, phone or smartphone, or otheraudible/visual/tactile feedback device(s). Control then continues tostep S1180 where the control sequence ends.

FIG. 12 outlines an exemplary technique for forwarding an etiquettesuggestion to one or more other identified vehicles. In particular,control begins in step S1200 and continues to step S1210. In step S1210,the vehicle to associate the reputation information is identified. Asdiscussed, this can be done using one or more of license plateinformation, internet protocol address information, Bluetooth addressinformation, an interrogation technique, RFID, near-fieldcommunications, or in general any communications protocol or modalitythat allows another vehicle to be identified. Moreover, and asdiscussed, this can be done by selecting via, for example, atouch-screen display, an icon representing the vehicle with which toassociate the etiquette information. Next, in step S1220, the etiquettesuggestion is assembled. This can be assembled from one or more “canned”etiquette recommendations, or it can be a custom etiquette suggestionentered by a user. Then, in step S1230, the determined etiquettesuggestion is forwarded to the identified vehicle. Again, this can bedone using one or more protocols and modalities such as an internetprotocol, Bluetooth®, RFID, near-field communications, or othercommunication technique. Control then continues to step S1240.

In step S1240, and at the receiving vehicle, a determination is made asto whether to provide the etiquette suggestion to one or more of thedriver and/or passenger(s). If the etiquette suggestion is not to beprovided, control jumps to step S1250 with control otherwise continuingto step S1260.

In step S1250, the etiquette suggestion can optionally be stored forretrieval at a later time. Control then continues to step S1270 wherethe control sequence ends.

If the etiquette suggestion is to be provided, in step S1260 thisetiquette suggestion is provided to one or more of the driver and/orpassengers via one or more of a display, audibly, and via tactilefeedback. Control then continues to step S1270 where the controlsequence ends.

The exemplary systems and methods of this disclosure have been describedin relation to vehicle sensors, systems and techniques. However, toavoid unnecessarily obscuring the present disclosure, the precedingdescription omits a number of known structures and devices. Thisomission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scopes of theclaims. Specific details are set forth to provide an understanding ofthe present disclosure. It should however be appreciated that thepresent disclosure may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond thespecific detail set forth herein

Furthermore, while the exemplary aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations illustrated herein show the various components of thesystem collocated, certain components of the system can be locatedremotely, at distant portions of a distributed network, such as a LANand/or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should beappreciated, that the components of the system can be combined in to oneor more devices, such as a Personal Computer (PC), laptop, netbook,smart phone, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), tablet, etc., orcollocated on a particular node of a distributed network, such as ananalog and/or digital telecommunications network, a packet-switchnetwork, or a circuit-switched network. It will be appreciated from thepreceding description, and for reasons of computational efficiency, thatthe components of the system can be arranged at any location within adistributed network of components without affecting the operation of thesystem. For example, the various components can be located in a switchsuch as a PBX and media server, gateway, in one or more communicationsdevices, at one or more users' premises, or some combination thereof.Similarly, one or more functional portions of the system could bedistributed between a telecommunications device(s) and an associatedcomputing device.

Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various links (such aslink 5, optionally communicating over network 10) connecting theelements can be wired or wireless links, or any combination thereof, orany other known or later developed element(s) that is capable ofsupplying and/or communicating data to and from the connected elements.These wired or wireless links can also be secure links and may becapable of communicating encrypted information. Transmission media usedas links, for example, can be any suitable carrier for electricalsignals, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics, and maytake the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those generated duringradio-wave and infra-red data communications.

Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and illustrated inrelation to a particular sequence of events, it should be appreciatedthat changes, re-ordering, additions, and omissions to this sequence canoccur without materially affecting the operation of the disclosedembodiments, configuration, and aspects.

A number of variations and modifications of the disclosure can be used.It would be possible to provide for some features of the disclosurewithout providing others.

In some embodiments, the systems and methods of this disclosure can beimplemented in conjunction with a special purpose computer, a programmedmicroprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuitelement(s), an ASIC or other integrated circuit, a digital signalprocessor, a hard-wired electronic or logic circuit such as discreteelement circuit, a programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD,PLA, FPGA, PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or thelike. In general, any device(s) or one or more means capable ofimplementing the methodology illustrated herein can be used to implementthe various aspects of this disclosure. Exemplary hardware that can beused for the disclosed embodiments, configurations and aspects includescomputers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g., cellular, Internetenabled, digital, analog, hybrids, and others), and other hardware knownin the art. Some of these devices include processors (e.g., a single ormultiple microprocessors), memory, nonvolatile storage, input devices,and output devices. Furthermore, alternative software implementationsincluding, but not limited to, distributed processing orcomponent/object distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtualmachine processing can also be constructed to implement the methodsdescribed herein.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be readilyimplemented in conjunction with software using object or object-orientedsoftware development environments that provide portable source code thatcan be used on a variety of computer or workstation platforms.Alternatively, the disclosed system may be implemented partially orfully in hardware using standard logic circuits or VLSI design. Whethersoftware or hardware is used to implement the systems in accordance withthis disclosure is dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirementsof the system, the particular function, and the particular software orhardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems beingutilized.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be partiallyimplemented in software that can be stored on a non-transitory storagemedium, executed on programmed general-purpose computer with thecooperation of a controller and memory, a special purpose computer, amicroprocessor, or the like. In these instances, the systems and methodsof this disclosure can be implemented as program embedded on personalcomputer such as an applet, JAVA® or CGI script, as a resource residingon a server or computer workstation, as a routine embedded in adedicated measurement system, system component, or the like. The systemcan also be implemented by physically incorporating the system and/ormethod into a software and/or hardware system.

Although the present disclosure describes components and functionsimplemented in the aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations withreference to particular standards and protocols, the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations are not limited to such standards andprotocols. Other similar standards and protocols not mentioned hereinare in existence and are considered to be included in the presentdisclosure. Moreover, the standards and protocols mentioned herein andother similar standards and protocols not mentioned herein areperiodically superseded by faster or more effective equivalents havingessentially the same functions. Such replacement standards and protocolshaving the same functions are considered equivalents included in thepresent disclosure.

The present disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes components, methods, processes, systems and/orapparatus substantially as depicted and described herein, includingvarious aspects, embodiments, configurations embodiments,subcombinations, and/or subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art willunderstand how to make and use the disclosed aspects, embodiments,and/or configurations after understanding the present disclosure. Thepresent disclosure, in various aspects, embodiments, and/orconfigurations, includes providing devices and processes in the absenceof items not depicted and/or described herein or in various aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations hereof, including in the absence ofsuch items as may have been used in previous devices or processes, e.g.,for improving performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost ofimplementation.

The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustrationand description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosureto the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing DetailedDescription for example, various features of the disclosure are groupedtogether in one or more aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the aspects,embodiments, and/or configurations of the disclosure may be combined inalternate aspects, embodiments, and/or configurations other than thosediscussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claims require more features than areexpressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claimsreflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a singleforegoing disclosed aspect, embodiment, and/or configuration. Thus, thefollowing claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description,with each claim standing on its own as a separate preferred embodimentof the disclosure.

Moreover, though the description has included description of one or moreaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations and certain variations andmodifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications arewithin the scope of the disclosure, e.g., as may be within the skill andknowledge of those in the art, after understanding the presentdisclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternativeaspects, embodiments, and/or configurations to the extent permitted,including alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures,functions, ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not suchalternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,ranges or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publiclydedicate any patentable subject matter.

1. A method to determine compliance with roadway rules comprising:obtaining location information from a global positioning service;monitoring and storing data from one or more vehicle sensors; accessingone or more laws and regulations applicable to and corresponding to alocation based on the obtained location information; and comparing theone or more laws and regulations to the stored data and determining if alaw or regulation has been violated.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising providing feedback to a driver when a violation occurs. 3.The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting a violation to oneor more entities.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdownloading the one or more laws and regulations for an applicable areato a vehicle.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving aquery from an interrogator for the data stored in a vehicle.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, further comprising determining whether the query isauthorized.
 7. The method of claim 6, further comprising restricting aresponse to the query to data within one or more of a certain geographicarea and a time period.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the querycontains a request for one or more violations.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the vehicle sensors including one or more of a perimeter sensor,a proximity sensor, a G-force sensor, a speed sensor, a mileage monitor,a biometric sensor, a braking sensor, an acceleration sensor, a turnsignal sensor, a light sensor, a radio sensor, a Bluetooth sensor, apassenger sensor and a camera.
 10. A non-transitory computer readableinformation storage media having stored thereon instructions, that whenexecuted by one or more processors, cause the steps of claim 1 to beperformed.
 11. A system adapted to determine compliance with roadwayrules comprising: a GPS module adapted to obtain location informationfrom a global positioning service; a controller adapted to monitor andstore data from one or more vehicle sensors; a communications moduleadapted to access one or more laws and regulations applicable to andcorresponding to a location based on the obtained location information;and a law module that compares the one or more laws and regulations tothe stored data and determines if a law or regulation has been violated.12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a feedback module adaptedto provide feedback to a driver when a violation occurs.
 13. The systemof claim 11, further comprising a feedback module that reports aviolation to one or more entities.
 14. The system of claim 11, whereinthe one or more laws and regulations for an applicable area aredownloaded to a vehicle.
 15. The system of claim 11, further comprisingan interrogator that forwards a query to a vehicle for the data storedin the vehicle.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein a determination ismade by the controller whether the query is authorized.
 17. The systemof claim 16, wherein the controller restricts a response to the query todata within one or more of a certain geographic area and a time period.18. The system of claim 15, wherein the query contains a request for oneor more violations.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein the vehiclesensors including one or more of a perimeter sensor, a proximity sensor,a G-force sensor, a speed sensor, a mileage monitor, a biometric sensor,a braking sensor, an acceleration sensor, a turn signal sensor, a lightsensor, a radio sensor, a Bluetooth sensor, a passenger sensor and acamera.
 20. The system of claim 15, wherein the interrogator is one ormore of embedded in, alongside or above a road, or associated with anentity.